When sophomore swimmer Jack Deppe touched the wall in the 200-yard breaststroke at the Patriot League Championships, he looked up at the scoreboard with a sense of accomplishment.
Deppe finished in 1:58.73, which not only broke his own school record but also made him the first swimmer in Lehigh history to break the two-minute barrier in the event.
“I wasn’t really expecting to get under two minutes at any point this season,” Deppe said. “I skipped right by 1:59 and went 1:58, which was super exciting.”
Deppe’s performance capped a four-day stretch on Feb. 24. He won the B final of the 200-yard breaststroke, placing ninth overall and scored 20 points for Lehigh.
By the end of the meet, his name had been added to the program’s record books five times — three individual events and two relay records.
He stood alone as the only Mountain Hawk named to the Patriot League All-League team.
Despite his results, Deppe said he didn’t enter the race expecting to break the record. In fact, he said the swim nearly unfolded differently.
“I was very fatigued,” Deppe said. “It was the fourth day of the meet so I was super sore in the morning.”
After swimming in the preliminary race earlier in the day, Deppe said he returned for the finals session feeling stronger, having adjusted his strategy to stay underwater longer.
“I felt really good when I was warming up in the pool,” he said. “During the race, I felt like I was moving through the water very differently from in the morning. I felt like I was going super far underwater which is one of the best ways to swim because it uses less energy and it’s faster.”
He said these adjustments paid off.
As Deppe approached the final 25 yards, he said he knew the swim had the potential to be special. Senior teammate Ben Kisker said Deppe’s record-breaking performance was a big moment for the team.
Kisker said the team knew they were witnessing something special as the race began.
“It was the first time anyone on our team has done it so it was a pretty big moment for all of us,” Kisker said. “We were all super proud and super excited.”
He said Deppe’s determination and goal-oriented mindset have helped set him apart. Leading up to the championship meet, Deppe said his performance was the product of months of intense training.
When the team returned to campus in early January, Deppe said he and his teammates entered one of the most demanding stretches of the season.
Deppe said the team holds double-session workouts every day — either lifting or swimming in the morning, followed by two hours of swimming at night. During winter training, he said the sport becomes his primary focus.
“It feels like we’re (swimming) professionally,” he said. “I wake up, stretch out a little bit, get something to eat, go to the pool, come back, relax and just think about the workout ahead of me. That’s all I really have to do.”
He said the physical training was only a part of his improvement.
This season, Deppe said one of his biggest gains came mentally, and he credited an after-practice challenge with first-year teammate Andrew Takach for his success.
“Every week, we would race a 400 (individual medley) which is known as the hardest event in swimming,” Deppe said. “There were so many times when after practice we would look at each other and say ‘Man, I really do not want to do this.’ But we knew it would help at the end of the season.”
He said those exhausting post-practice races helped him prepare for race days.
During meets this season, he said there weren’t any nerves, and he was able to focus on his adrenaline, knowing he’d raced the event many times before.
Takach said he saw Deppe’s work ethic firsthand throughout the season and emphasized his determination and leadership in practice stand out.
“He broke the record in prelims and then just wanted to break it again,” Takach said. “He never stopped. He’s completely determined.”
He added that Deppe’s leadership shows up just as much in practice.
Now in his second year as a Mountain Hawk, Deppe has even bigger goals ahead.
“The big thing for swimming is the Olympics,” he said. “Being able to go and watch that and take part in it has always seemed like a dream to me.”
For the rest of his time at Lehigh, he said his focus is on the NCAA Championships. He now sits just 1.7 seconds away from the qualifying standard in his event.
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